Metallic flooring



Se t. 7, 1937. G. L. DRESSER 2,092,667

"METALLIC FLOORING Filed July 11, 1935 Patented Sept. 7, 1937 UNITED STATES;

PATENT orrics Claims.

This invention relates to metallic fioorings and particularly to lightweight metallic bridge floorings of the type disclosed in myp ending application Serial No. 7,260, filed February 19, 1935.

The metallic flooring which comprises the subject matter of the application just referred to has a number of novel and important features of construction which render it particularly suitable for use for many purposes, but especially in as a bridge flooring.

Essentially the flooring referredto comprises a plurality of vertically disposed webs or: sup porting members which rest upon the sub-structure of a bridge or the like and a plurality of fiat trafiic elements bridging these members, the traffic elements being arranged in rows and the elements of each row alternating with the elements of the two next adjacent rows. The supporting members and trafiic elements, therefore, together form a grid-like trafiic supporting surface having regularly disposed apertures therein. By preference the supporting members are disposed, when applied to a bridge or roadway, transversely of the direction of trafiic and the traffic elements are disposed with their major axes extending in the same general direction as the traffic. The aperture defined by each adjacent pair of tramc elements and the supporting members to which the ends of these elements are attached are generally square or rectangular and defined by straight edges.

Flooring such as above described has; proven eminently successful in actual use and the present invention provides a flooring which is generally similar but which has a design which is somewhat modified in order to further decrease the possibility of skidding of motor vehiclesprogressing over its surface. Thus, in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the 40 traific supporting elements have either their lateral edges serrated. or the elements themselves are so disposed as to present edges which are relatively inclined to the supporting members and hence inclined to the direction of traffic. Increased resistance to slipping is therefore realized, which is of course desirable especially in the event that the flooring is disposed at an angle to the horizontal.

To bring about the desired increased resist ance to skidding or slipping the tramc elements and supporting members may be formed in various ways of which two examples are illustrated in the drawing by way of example.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of portion of a metallic flooring structure embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Figure l; and

Figure 3 is a plan view similar to Figure 1 but showing a modified form of flooring.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 a supporting structure is rather diagrammatically illustrated at Ill and it will be understood that this supporting structure may comprise the floor beams of a bridge or may comprise any other solid base or support. Mounted upon the supporting structure ID are a plurality of supporting members, vertically disposed and spaced in parallel planes. In the forms of the invention disclosed by way of example certain of these supporting members H are formed as I-beams and certain of them, which alternate with the I-beams ll, comprise flat metallic webs l2. The trafiic contacting and supporting elements are indicated at l3 and preferably these elements are generally rectangular in form, with their major axes disposednormally to the supporting members below. Preferably also the various trafi'lc elements are formed as horizontally disposed flanges integral with the supporting webs l2. Alternate elements l3 lie on opposite sides of the webs I2 of which they form portions, as clearly shown in the drawing, and the free ends of these elements [3 rest upon the intermediate I-beams II, and are welded thereto.

The supporting members II and l2are welded or otherwise suitably secured to the supporting base In as indicated at M and [5, respectively, and these welds, together with the welds [6 by means of which the free ends of bridging traflic elements [3 are secured to the I-beams ll, unite all parts of the metallic flooring into one integral rigid structure.

In Figure 1 of the drawing, the directions of traflic flow over the metallic flooring is indicated by the double headed arrow A, the wheels of vehicles moving over the flooring thus moving longitudinally of the traffic supporting elements. The tires of rubber tired vehicles press downwardly into the uniformly distributed apertures the margins of which are defined by the edges of the flat upper surfaces of the I-beams H, the side edges of adjacent traffic elements I3 and the ends of the trailic elements which alternate therewith. The manner in which the tires of the pneumatic vehicle will protrude into one of these apertures is indicated in Figure 2, the out line of the tire periphery being indicated at IT.

For the purpose of increasing the frictional engagement of the tire and traihc engaging elements, the side edges of the elements l3 are serrated, as shown in the drawing, to provide edges which do not extend truly in the direction of traflic but which have portions inclined to the direction of trafiic. The soft rubber of the tire will flow to permit the tire to conform to the serrated edges of the trafiic supporting elements and these serrated edges therefore comprise means for increasing the frictional engagement of the tire and the traffic surface. The number of serrations formed upon the lateral edges of each element [3 may vary as shown in the drawing and obviously the character of the serrations may vary widely. Likewise the flat upper flanges of the I-beams I l are preferably cutaway or notched to provide arcuate tire engaging edges indicated at [8, opposite the gaps between adjacent pairs of traflic supporting elements It. Again, the end edges of traflic elements l3 at the welds l6 may be curved, as indicated at l9, to further increase the ability of these edges to fully engage the tread surface of a rubber tire passing over the same.

If desired, the lateral edges of the traffic elements may be made straight as shown in Figure 3 and the elements themselves inclined to the directions of traffic, indicated by the double headed arrow B in this figure. Here the traffic elements l3 are shown to have straight parallel edges but these edges make substantial angles with the supporting members I I and i2 and with the direction of trafiic. Furthermore, the elements i3 integral with any one supporting web l2 are disposed angularly with respect to the elements I3 of the webs 12 on both sides of the same, the traflic surface thus presenting a herringbone surface to the eye and the tendency to slipping or skidding of rubber tired vehicles being furthermore decreased by this arrangement. It will be understood that the traffic elements l3 and 13 need not be necessarily integral with the webs l2 and 62' but may be formed separately and secured thereto. An economical method of fabricating the structure, however, contemplates the formation of the webs l2 and I2 and elements I3 and I3 integral with one another, the traflic elements comprising in reality flanges formed by bending over at right angles to the webs to which they are attached the narrow strips formed by cutting parallel kerfs in the edges of a flat plate, alternating narrow strips being bent in opposite directions.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Metallic bridge flooring comprising a plurality of supporting webs disposed in vertical parallel planes transversely to the direction of traflic, a plurality of individual flat generally rectangular metallic elements arranged with their major axes respectively disposed in the general direction of traflic and substantially normal to the webs, said elements lying in a common horizontal plane and in parallel rows, the elements of each row being spaced apart and spaced from and alternating with the elements of adjacent rows and each element having its ends supported upon spaced adjacent webs, portions of the lateral edges of said elements being disposed at angles to the direction of trafiic.

2. Metallic bridge flooring comprising parallel spaced elongated supporting members, a row of spaced fiat elongated traffic elements bridging each pair of adjacent supporting elements, the elements of one row of elements alternating with the elements of the next adjacent rows, each such element being spaced from adjacent ele" ments in the plane of the traffic surface, and the mutually facing edges of adjacent elements of each row of elements being serrated, for the purpose set forth.

3. Metallic bridge flooring comprising parallel elongated supporting members and parallel trafiic elements bridging said members, each element being spaced from all adjacent elements and said elements collectively comprising a flooring hav ing regularly distributed apertures laterally defined by spaced adjacent elements, and the adjacent edges of said last named adjacent elements being parallel and disposed at acute angles to the supporting members.

4. Metallic flooring comprising spaced parallel elongated supporting members having flat upper surfaces, and fiat parallel traffie elements bridging the spaces between said members, and each element being spaced from all adjacent elements, thus forming a traflic surface with regularly distributed apertures, the said flat supporting members having arcuate edges which constitute marginal edges of the respective apertures.

5. The combination set forth in claim 4 in which those edges of the trafiic elements which define the apertures are serrated.

GEORGE L. DRESSER. 

